Rick Santorum indicated that Newt Gingrich should drop out of the presidential race, arguing -- as Gingrich did during his surge -- that splitting the "anti-Romney" vote helped Mitt Romney win the Michigan primary and Washington caucuses and contributes to his overall success so far.

"It's always harder when you've got to conservative running in the race as we have seen in Washington and we've seen in other states," Santorum said on Fox News Sunday. "We have the anti-Romney vote, if you will. Both Gingrich and I are slugging away."

Santorum stopped short of calling for Gingrich to exit the race, but he noted that their combined support would defeat Romney. "In Michigan, we would have won easily if those two votes had been combined," he told Chris Wallace.

He also made clear that he believes Gingrich will have to drop out, eventually. "And, you know, eventually hopefully the race will settle out and we'll go one on one," Santorum said. "And once that happens, we feel very comfortable we're going to win this thing."

Santorum should have taken the honorable course that Pawlenty, Bachman, Cain, and Perry did and withdrawn after Gingrich romp in winning SC. His presence is causing a split in the conservative vote and Romney is shooting through the breach. Had Santorum dropped out, Gingrich would have won in MI and the Romney candidacy would have been up in flames. Santorum is now playing the role of spoiler and so we get Romney. Romney needs Santorums role as spoiler. Romney knows this. The $64,000 question is why doesnt Santorum and his supporters know about it?

104
posted on 03/04/2012 9:27:02 PM PST
by ConfidentConservative
(If my people shall humble themselves and pray,I will hear from Heaven and heal their land.)

Santorum is a cry baby. It's never his fault. It's Bush's fault he lost in 2006. He loves to lecture us on our lives. He's angry and petulant. He's like Obama without the personal charm. They certainly agreed on Sonya Sotomayor's great qualifications for judicial appointment.

A voter favoring ROMNEY over SANTORUM would definitely, by definition, not be conservative. They would either be a RINO/Moderate, or lets say somebody so filled with spite over their candidate such as Newt Gingrich losing, that they would be in juvenile, "I'll take my marbles home and not play anymore" attitude. .... I cannot fathom it. Particularly right here within FR.

It would be the sames as a Santorum supporter supporting Romney, if Santorum dropped out and Gingrich were still in the race, just over bitterness. It makes no sense. ROMNEY IS THE ENEMY OF ALL CONSERVATIVES. PERIOD.

115
posted on 03/05/2012 12:11:15 AM PST
by AmericanInTokyo
(Power up the ROMNEYBOT-ZAPPER. FR is going to need it. These folks will start appearing like maggots)

It’s ridiculous. Honestly, though, the support for Romney as a second choice makes sense. The hatred toward Rick has done nothing but help Romney. Those who support Romney as a second choice seem to hate Rick so much because he is so socially conservative and outspoken about it, hence the nicknames like “Saint Rick” and “Sanctimonious”.

116
posted on 03/05/2012 12:23:52 AM PST
by Pinkbell
(Knock Romney Out - Vote for Santorum in Ohio/Oklahoma/Tennessee and Vote for Gingrich In Georgia)

Says a lot about the poster, if you ask me, that moral issues make them cringe (and yet they would still claim to be a conservative.) I truly think the US Libertarian Party would be a more appropriate site for them perhaps.

117
posted on 03/05/2012 12:27:14 AM PST
by AmericanInTokyo
(Power up the ROMNEYBOT-ZAPPER. FR is going to need it. These folks will start appearing like maggots)

GOP is already dead. The fact the conservative base is split between Gingrich and Santorum proves that from the get go people did not agree within the tea party base on candidates. it sounds more and more like there will be on coalescing around anyone. A faction of voters will split from the nominee between all four left.

GOP is already dead. The fact the conservative base is split between Gingrich and Santorum proves that from the get go people did not agree within the tea party base on candidates. it sounds more and more like there will be no coalescing around anyone. A faction of voters will split from voting of the nominee between all four left.

I say that because a core of the Gingrich supporters are all of a sudden against Santorum no matter what. And a core of Santorum supporters won’t back Gingrich or they wouldn’t be for Santorum, of course. And you know about the Paul and Romney backers. Romney people might not vote for the nominee if not him and you know this. These goofs have started appearing on The Blaze attacking Santorum and Gingrich.

Personally, as I’ve said a lot, I was and still like Bachmann. And I was also fine with Cain. But they are over. So ever since they both dropped out I have been bouncing around between Newt and Santorum. But I am with Santorum now for the last month. But the 3rd party option is looking pretty good these days as Romney get more and more delegates. I won’t vote for Romney or Paul.

But I would for Santorum and Gingrich. Both bring good things to the table. Both have some baggage you wouldn’t have gotten with Bachmann or Palin or DeMint. However, I lean Santorum now.

We're just beginning to see what Santorums about...and as that picture is revealed, at his own hands as well as the media's and that which hasn't been revealed yet. People just might understand what we've been trying to tell them all along.....

BTW Santorum always says, and the press too... Santorum was raised in Pittsburgh...NOT TRUE...what they aren't telling you is he was raised from 7yrs. to his Senior year in a dumpster community called Butler, Pa. What a dive!

Though Santorum stated he has 'many fond memories' of being raised in Butler, he simply states "for various reasons", and it sure doesn't have to do with status of the community as the dump dive that it is.

And you won't see cameras rolling associating him to Butler.

So you won't see the news saying where he was really raised...but Butler is 45-60 minutes or so North of Pittsburgh and not even remotely joined.

seem to hate Rick so much because he is so socially conservative and outspoken about it,

Of course they do...he should have backed out back when and let Newt take the front head to head with Romney. Then there would have been a race. But just as we in Pa. know fully well.. Santorum will always go in whatever direction feeds his political ambitions regardless of the effects on Conservatives and their positions...he did it in Pa. and he'll do it now and continue to do so.

It has nothing to do with his social conservativism..he simply is all about himself and you stack his accomplishments, abilities and know how up against Newt and there's no comparison..Newt has it hands down and without effort. And that's just the truth.

People are voting for who they 'Like" not who can take out Obama, and expose him, and then hit the ground running in DC to turn things around fast. So if Santorum wins...we can count on Obamas next four years and rick will have earned his political career and royalties he'll get ...he wins either way...and our country looses for him.

Just a reminder we have Obamacare as a direct result of Santorums putting his political ambitions ahead of what is the right thing for this country. The same thing he did in PA....and for that lost the election...he cannot be trusted.

Santorum has never been a leader in anything.
As soon as he opens his mouth too wide, he’s saying a stupid thing, for which he apologizes the next day.
Obama’s propaganda machine will make mince meat out of him and beside, he already demonstrated he cannot win over Romney.

The only thing he’s doing by staying in a race he cannot win, is to hand the nomination to Mitt, who would lose to Obama, pointed at as the 0.1% guy, bought by Wall Street and the establishment elite to serve their interests in Washington DC.

Rick should drop out of race NOW.
Newt, by not competing, left him his chance to prove he was able to beat Romney in Michigan and Arizona, and Rick failed TWICE. He simply is not a guy to play in the first league.

86 posted on Sunday, March 04, 2012 9:21:05 PM by Rome2000 (Rick Santorum voted against Right toWork): “The Republican Party never did anything worthwhile, and has the blood of this Republic on its hands dating back to 1861. This will be the final nail.”

Oh, good grief. Are we going to be resurrecting Civil War stuff a hundred and fifty years later?

Half my ancestors didn't even immigrate the United States until after the Civil War was over. On the other side, a great-great-grandfather was a Union soldier who was a POW in Andersonville.

There was a day that Republicans blasted the Democrats for being the party of “Rum, Romanism and Rebellion.” Now, most conservatives are supporting one of two Roman Catholics who drink alcohol, and one of them used to represent Georgia in the Congress.

If the Republican Party were the same party that Abraham Lincoln led, Republicans would have a lock on the black vote, New England would be solidly in the red column, Santorum would be a Democrat, and no Southerner including Gingrich would have a chance of getting elected as a Republican.

Parties change. I, for one, am very glad for that. I don't think I'd like the pre-Reagan Republican Party very much, and I know I'd have huge problems with the racist bigotry of the old Democratic Party.

Republicans aren't perfect, but they're much better than any realistic alternative we have today.

Romney has won the last five primaries/caucuses straight since Santorum's 3 sweep on Feb 7th.

That's Main, Wyoming, Michigan, Arizona, and Washington.

But in two of those states, Wyoming and Michigan, Santorum would have won if Newt's vote had been added to his.

The combined vote would not have been enough in Florida or Nevada either, but if Santorum and Newt's votes were together, right now the delegate count would be almost even, and I believe after Super Tuesday, the single conservative candidate would pull ahead of Romney.

137
posted on 03/05/2012 10:52:43 AM PST
by Jeff Head
(Liberty is not free. Never has been, never will be. (www.dragonsfuryseries.com))

45 posted on Sunday, March 04, 2012 3:59:33 PM by wolf78: “I think you're right. If Santorum drops out, Newt will most likely pick up all of the conservative vote. If Gingrich drops out I believe there will be a sizeable number of his supporters staying at home.”

Most people on Free Republic understand the problems with Mitt Romney. That's not necessarily the case with the general Republican electorate. Polls show that significant percentages of Santorum supporters have Romney as their second choice, and the same is true for Gingrich supporters.

I'm very much afraid that pushing for a two-man race between Santorum-Romney or Gingrich-Romney will have unintended consequences. What happens if evangelicals who can't put up with Gingrich's past decide to vote for the “family values” Mormon if Santorum drops out? What happens if Gingrich supporters who don't like Santorum’s union ties or Catholic economic views decide to vote for the “pro-business Bain executive” Romney if Gingrich drops out?

As others here have said, Mitt Romney is in the wrong party. I've read the comments by Planned Parenthood people who interviewed Romney as he was running for governor and saying he could be a pro-choice advocate in the Republican Party. That doesn't belong in the GOP, but having a pro-business voice in the Democratic Party could actually be helpful.

What we really need is for Romney to drop out and have a legitimate race between Gingrich, Santorum, and (unfortunately) Paul. I was hopeful that a defeat for Romney in Michigan would deliver a body blow culminating in a Super Tuesday knockout punch, but it looks like Romney is going to be in this for quite a while longer.

Exiting polling shows Santorum in most states that have recently held primaries or caucuses overwhelmingly winning about the most conservative voters and those aligned with the Tea Party.

Which is really disheartening because Santorum is neither conservative or competent to beat Obama.

What I find most dissapointing about the primary process both this year and in 2008 is the effective use of misinformation to snow conservative voters. The ads depicting Romney and Santorum as conservative are truly sickening. But who do you blame? the organizations producing the the propaganda ... or the stupidity of the voters taken in by it?

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